The deadline for Philippines voters to register their biometric data ahead of next year’s election could be extended a couple of months beyond October 31st. A group called the Kabataan Party List has worked with a number of youth organizations to file a petition asking the country’s Supreme Court to force the Commission on Elections, or Comelec, to extend the deadline to January 8th.
It’s likely a frustrating prospect to Comelec, as the agency has been vehemently urging voters to register their biometric data for several months. The campaign has seen Comelec open registration centers in the country’s popular shopping malls, enlist the help of celebrities to tweet about the issue, and, more recently, extend its office hours to 12-hour days and send out mobile registration units to serve those in rural areas. Despite these longstanding efforts, Comelec has nevertheless seen high volumes of registrants in recent days now that the deadline is imminent.
It’s not clear whether the Supreme Court will act on the request. As the Manila Bulletin points out, the Court is on recess until November 8th, but there is always the possibility that its Chief Justice could decide to take action to face a matter deemed exceptionally urgent.
Source: Manila Bulletin
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October 29, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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